New United States Champion crowned on WWE SmackDown
A new United States Champion was crowned on SmackDown.
Carmelo Hayes won the title from Ilja Dragunov in a match that aired on Friday The finish had Dragunov launch off the top rope, only for Hayes to meet him with the first 48, a codebreaker. Hayes then used that opportunity to connect with his nothing but net finish, scoring his first main roster title win.
After the match, Dragunov grabbed the title from the referee and proceeded to put the United States Championship around Hayes’ waist, showing true sportsmanship. Backstage, Carmelo Hayes thanked Dragunov but then was attacked by Johnny Gargano, who promised to take away everything from him.
Dragunov won the United States Championship from Sami Zayn on the October 17 edition of SmackDown. In the weeks following his win, Dragunov continued Zayn’s tradition by holding an open challenge on a weekly basis, defeating the likes of Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Axiom, and JD McDonagh. Hayes previously challenged Dragunov on the December 5 edition of SmackDown in a losing effort.
Bryan Rose is an editor from California that has been covering professional wrestling for well over a decade. He officially joined F4WOnline as an editor in 2017.